The way forward for the Saddlers

Walsall blogger Mark Jones believes the Saddlers are definitely still on the up as the team prepare to make the League One trip to Yeovil.

Just in case anyone had forgotten – Walsall are in a relegation battle.

We have been for a long time, probably from moment our previous manager Chris Hutchings drew up his retained list at the start of the close season.

We are down there for a reason as, we are, for now at least, one of the weaker teams in the league. A record of 10 home defeats and an average of less than a point a game are testimony to this.

Therefore, despite the monumental progress made in the two months under boss Dean Smith, we are bound to have games like Tuesday night.

Leyton Orient were better than us, they defended with confidence and a certain degree of comfort, passed the ball well and looked very dangerous going forward. They could well be dark horses for the play-offs.

In many ways we ought to take comfort from their performance, they are a club with a lot of similarities to ourselves. If they can build a team like that then why can't we? After all our manager has played a part in their rise.

Surviving this season would be a big help and, while it's true that some of the results didn't go for us the other night, there are also now teams above us who have been dragged back into it and will be starting to fret about the run-in.

I reckon it's now any four from seven and we've still got as much chance as anyone of pulling free.

The final 10 games begin with another trip to the West Country, all the way to Yeovil for the biggest six-pointer since - last Saturday's draw at Swindon.

Personally I thought it was a really professional performance at the County Ground, one that we wouldn't have been capable of in the first half of the season. Come May it could prove to be a massive point.

Some fans are concerned about a lack of goals, which is fair enough as we've only managed two in the last seven. We need to start firing again for sure, but the last seven games - five of those against teams who still have a realistic chance of making the top six and two six-pointers - have still yielded us eight points.

So all we have to do is start scoring but keep on keeping them out at the other end –simples!]

I'm sure Dean will be happy for that piece of free advice, but I'm equally confident it's something he's been working on with his backroom team.

One major difference this weekend is that there won't be a Unity bus winding its way down the M5.

It's fair to say the venture into Wiltshire was a roaring success, some might say a flash of genius, raising everyone's spirits and throwing up the possibility of future trips.

Fair play to Dean, Perse, Daz and Locky for getting it off the ground.

Unity days out – definitely the way forward.